Senior leaders from the U. S. Army’s Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) staff took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new multi-domain operations (MDO) environment test bed on Sept. 12, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
PEO STRI’s new test bed is a partnership with the U. S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (ICoE) and showcases the Project Manager Cyber Test and Training (PM CT2) Federated System of Systems that includes the eXpeditionary Live, Virtual and Constructive Command Center (XLCC), Threat Battle Command Force (TBCF) and Intelligence Electronic Warfare Tactical Proficiency Trainer (IEWTPT).
The ribbon-cutting took place during Vanguard 24, a U. S. Army-led program that runs throughout the month of September. Goals of the annual Vanguard program include increasing the Army's capabilities, survivability and lethality; addressing learning demands; integrating new warfighting concepts; modernizing Army intelligence and electromagnetic warfare; and incorporating future concepts, formations, and emerging technologies.
“This MDO test bed is the result of a collaborative effort across PM CT2, the Army and strategic partners ATEC [Army Test and Evaluation Command], ICoE, and Army OTC [Operational Test Command],” said Christina Bell, acting project manager for PEO STRI’s PM CT2. “Today’s event is a significant milestone toward meeting the Army's overall modernization objectives.”
Bell said the test bed will serve as a key enabler for experimentation, testing and training, and field-based risk reduction, providing operationally realistic MDO testing and evaluation environments. It will also provide a live, virtual, constructive command and control capability, as well as replicate the complex electromagnetic spectrum in a congested/contested environment.
“Today’s ceremony is testimony to the hard work and dedication of all those involved in the project and reinforces our commitment to the warfighter and the safety and defense of our nation,” Bell said. “I have full confidence in this team to continue to develop this capability and ensure that the Army remains a dominant force on the battlefield.”
Prior to the ribbon-cutting, Brian Hill, systems chief for PM CT2’s Threat Systems Management Office, spoke about the strong working relationship between PEO STRI, ICoE and Fort Huachuca, as well as the importance of participating in Vanguard 24.
“The MDO test bed and the partnership we have here at Fort Huachuca is so important for future army test and evaluation,” said Hill. “MDO is very complex; when it comes to frequency it’s exponentially difficult because we are operating across the spectrum.”
Hill said that at no other time in history has the Army had the maneuver space they have at Fort Huachuca to be able to work through the live threat capability. It is also important to understand how to actually plan, design and conduct MDO events, something the Army has not done previously.
Several PM CT2 product and program managers also took part in the ribbon-cutting event and product demonstration, including Jennifer Gillum, MDO environment chief and XLCC product manager, along with representatives from the TBCF and IEWTPT product lines.
“Multi-domain operations are a very difficult problem set the Army is getting after right now,” Gillum said. “We have had a lot of narrative on how we solve this problem in the future and get technology fielded quickly in a future operating environment, providing test management control and providing decision-driven data in order to make informed decisions.”
Gillum said the best way to tackle this problem is to get started now, and the new test bed will enable the Army to test and train on current capabilities in order to build solutions for future MDO environments using PEO STRI’s three key programs.
“I look forward to working with the partners here in the room and continuing to work with each of you in the future,” Gillum said.
PEO STRI personnel demonstrated the capabilities of XLCC, TBCF and IEWTPT earlier this year at 2024 Association of the U. S. Army (AUSA) Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama, on March 26. Like the test bed, the AUSA demonstration featured MDO experimentation, testing and training focused on how each system integrates in a MDO scenario and how it will be used to drive MDO intel, test and training at homestations.
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, PEO STRI is comprised of a highly skilled and diverse workforce of more than 1,200 Soldiers, Army civilians and contractors, who work with Army partners to enhance operational readiness and support the Army’s modernization efforts by fielding and sustaining the next generation of multi-domain operations testing, training and information operations capabilities.
Date Taken: | 09.12.2024 |
Date Posted: | 09.23.2024 16:18 |
Story ID: | 481558 |
Location: | FORT HUACHUCA , ARIZONA, US |
Web Views: | 588 |
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